W

WANDA
ars amatoria 

"And yet a restless, always unsatisfied craving for the nudity of paganism," she interrupted, "but that love, which is the highest joy, which is divine simplicity itself, is not for you moderns, you children of reflection. It works only evil in you. As soon as you wish to be natural, you become common. To you nature seems something hostile; you have made devils out of the smiling gods of Greece, and out of me a demon. You can only exorcise and curse me, or slay yourselves in bacchantic madness before my altar. And if ever one of you has had the courage to kiss my red mouth, he makes a barefoot pilgrimage to Rome in penitential robes and expects flowers to grow from his withered staff, while under my feet roses, violets, and myrtles spring up every hour, but their fragrance does not agree with you. Stay among your northern fogs and Christian incense; let us pagans remain under the debris, beneath the lava; do not disinter us. Pompeii was not built for you, nor our villas, our baths, our temples. You do not require gods. We are chilled in your world."

Along with Loviatar, she has become something of a 21st century Patron Goddess of all Dominatrixes. While Loviatar is the Goddess of Pain, Wanda govens Control. She is the breathtakingly beautiful sable-wrapped marble queen of Sacher-Masoch’s fantasies. Her scent is a deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle.  

The wine is definitely at the foreground here, but I get little whiffs of florals way back there. No she gets a bottle and I will be back when I don't have faint jasmine on my skin from sorting therough the imps. 

Second try and it's absolutely gorgeous. There is a sharp wood thing in the very beginning, a little like vetiver but not really, then the wine kicks in and it's deep and dark and red. It doesn't stay long, and after just a few minutes it gives way for rose and leather. The other florals don't make much of themselves, they just deepen the rose a little. And the rose isn't porky so yay. I think i'll wear it for a second day even if i'm in test mode.

I'll also put it on my bottle wishlist. It is that good. 
 

WAR
good omens 

She finished the drink, hefted the sword over one shoulder, and looked around at the puzzled factions, who now encircled her completely. 'Sorry to run out on you, chaps,' she said. 'Would love to stay and get to know you better.'

The men in the room suddenly realized they didn't want to know her better. She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, but not up close.

And she held her sword, and she smiled like a knife.

Red ginger, black spices, patchouli, honeysuckle, and three blood-soaked red musks. 

oh man it's good. I was a little weary since I read the descriptions and so many were negative but this one is just good on me. I don't get much red musk or any of the other notes listed because it actually smells like apple on me. Granny smith apple. It could be because of the baby wipes I used to get the one I was already wearing off so I will be back but hey. Even if it doesn't change it's great. Oh yeah it changed. I forgot I wore suntan lotion so I had to wash that off to get a real impression.

And yeah, second time around I can smell the dryness and the pepper they talked about, but with a promise of something sweeter. It's still good, maybe even better, it's just not apple any more. It's dry and sinister, almost a little smoky, with a hint of sweetness waaay back there. It's still wet so it's gonna be interesting.

It got better and better and the red musk comes to the forefront after drydown. I need even more testing to tell the whole story because I had to shower before the story was told.

Third time and here is the dry pepper again, but I think it's sweeter now and that the red musk is coming forward sooner than the last time, almost right away. Maybe it's because it had a little time to settle down. It's gorgeous.

It smooths away the sharpness and when it does, it's red musk all the way, with a very faint green apple in the back there.

One of the most gorgeous ones. Definitely in the top ten.
 

WESTERN DIAMONDBACK
carnaval diabolique
snake pit 

Snake Oil with leather, tonka bean, red sandalwood, and sage. 

Snake oil coming through, loud and clear, - and very pleasantly I might add. Now I love me some snake oil so I may be biased in this. He he.

The snake oil is much more prominent in this than it was in SAW SCALED VIPER. In fact it's so prominent I can't smell any of the other ingredients but that could be because it's still early days and it's still wet on me. 

On drydown the leather comes out a little more, and something herbal that has to be sage. If I work at it I can detect sandalwood way in the back there too.

 

WHITE CHOCOLATE, MARSHMALLOW, AND COCONUT
oh man yes please 

first testing was good the first couple of minutes and then it went bad. I had a lot of stuff on my arms though so I will test later, after having a shower with the villainess decadence smooch. They should go well together. If this one doesn't go bad that is. Which would suck hard since I already have a bottle coming...

it comes back again and then it's not so bad. I get chocolate more from this than from other chocolate blends. Milk chocolate. Very sweet. 

2X WHITE ROSE
White rose buds, with vanilla tea, benzoin, orris, coconut meat, and frankincense.  

It's sweet and a little light and a little on the candy side.  
 

WOOD PHOENIX
limited edition
anniversary 2008 

Flexibility, cooperation, expansiveness, and altruism: Chinese musk and five woods with newly budding bamboo shoots, hyssop, chamomile, pink clove, magnolia, walnut, and fig.  

At first it was sharp and floral but that was straight from the mailbox. After sitting in the little glass box over night it was much more mellow though, which is a good thing since I ordered a bottle before the decants got here.

I can still sense the magnolia in the wet stage but I have hope it will mellow considerably over time. And after drydown it's just wood. A deep brown wood that is actually pretty gorgeous. 

  

 

V

VELVET
bewitching brews

Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

It's very soft and gentle and in a good way. It's not sweet which is a surprise because the cocoa/chocolate makes me expect it (conditioned much?) but once I can lean into that it's very nice. Soft and sensual as the description says.

VELVET CLOWN
limited edition
the salon

Rum-soaked cotton candy, boot-stomped licorice whips and circus peanuts, scorched marshmallows, a dribble of corn whiskey, cigar smoke, and greasepaint.

Rum at first and then the greasepaint comes through for a short while. It dries down to sweet and boozy. It smells a little like BUTTER RUM COOKIE but a little less foody.

VELVET BANDITO
limited edition
the salon

Dust, tumbleweeds, cedar, and tobacco.

It's spicy and yeah I get clove, and I think cedar. It's much sweeter than I thought it would be, and there is something familiar in here that I can't put my finger on. Oh it's TOMBSTONE, without the vanilla. I swapped it away though, for SUNBIRD. It was so worth it, it's almost painful.

VELVET DOGS PLAYING POKER
limited edition
the salon

Smooth wood, sweet pipe smoke, tonka, and Irish coffee.

This is the second time I test this. The first time I was on blood pressure medicine and I think it did something very undesirable to my chemisrty because this one morphed into a stinky mess I just had to was off. It was sour and disgusting.

This time it goes on in coffee and booze, and it's good. It fades kinda fast though. Okay i'll put more on and in all my places and see what it does, now that I'm not scared of it any more. It fades into smoke. Or tobacco. With a tad coffee thrown in. No I like. It's good.

VELVET NUDIE
limited edition
the salon

Skin musk and flowering sugar cane.

Man this one is horrible right away, it smells cheap and perfume-y. It dries down to very feminine and nauseating and immensly annoying. I think the skin musk is telling me goodbye forever in this one. Linn loved it though.

VELVET PANTHER
limited edition
the salon

Dark musk, star anise, agarwood, styrax, vetiver, gaiacwood, King mandarin, violet leaf, and black vanilla.

This is naturally the first one I test since the black panther is my inner animal.

She keeps close to the skin, slinking through the dark almost undetected. But if you listen closely you can hear her purring, dark and low. She is not sweet at all until you get to know her and then she emits a dark musky sweetness. It's possible I need a backup of this one. It's breath-taking but not in an obvious way.

At some point I became unable to wear this one. Maybe it was a change in my chemistry, I don't know. It's sad because I really did love it for a little while.
 

VELVET TIGER
limited edition
the salon

Spiced Satsuma orange, tangerine, rich amber, black licorice, teak, cinnamon, and vetiver.  

Oh yeah, spicy orange. In the very beginning more smoky orange though, because vetiver is strong in this one at first sight. It doesn't take long for it to simmer down and let other notes through though, and orange sweetens up and shows a spicy face. It doesn't lose the smokiness though, I can smell the vetiver even after drydown, which is not all that common on my skin, it usually dies down after a while and gives room for sweetness. Here it still does that but it stays around at the same time. It's good and yeah it's feline and a little dark.  

VELVET UNICORN
limited edition
the salon

Spun sugar, sparkling rainbow candies, strawberries, merangue, and cherry fluff.  

This could have been a great candy blend if it didn't have a nasty, acrid aftertaste on my skin. It's like a musk in there going really really bad on my skin. I have nieces who love candy though. There is a great home for this in the future. I'm thinking Marlene, I just have to save it until the right occasion is here.

 

 

 

U

URD

Lab description: "Muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa."

oh wow this is like visiting the young lizzy again. the stores i used to like smelled like this, stores with names like shangri la, which by the way i passed by the other day and the building is now gone. i was thinking yeah, shangri la is gone. on many levels. but back in the day i dressed in black and purple and i smelled like this.

as time goes on i just love this one more and more. i find myself craving it from time to time.

T

TEMPLE VIPER
carnaval diabolique
snake pit 

Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop.  

Just a sniff in the bottle right out of the mailbox tells me we're gonna be great friends... I will let it calm down for a day but I look forward to this one.

The sugar cane greets me in the bottle and I look forward to putting this on my skin. But something happens and suddenly it's a lot more cologne-y than I thought I was in for. Luckily it changes again before I can think oh no, and it's smooth and sugary now. I don't get any snake oil or maybe just a tiny little all the way up there to the left. This is gorgeous, even after I've been spoiled for days by SNAKE CHARMER RES it's good, which says something because that's a pretty hard act to follow. Yesterday I put a tiny little bit one me and then I got a little whiff of head shop (which I love) but I don't get that today. 
 

THE CLOD AND THE PEBBLE
limited edition 

William Blake
Love seeketh not Itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hells despair.

So sang a little Clod of Clay,
Trodden with the cattle's feet;
But a Pebble of the brook,
Warbled out these metres meet.

Love seeketh only Self to please,

To bind another to Its delight:
Joys in anothers loss of ease,
And builds a Hell in Heavens despite.

Rose otto, clove, patchouli, Indian sandalwood, nutmeg, and cedar.

Oh man this one is gorgeous all the way.
I expected the cedar to be sharp, but in the bottle and wet on my skin it's very woodsy, yet still smooth, with a whiff of spice in the background.

When drydown starts the rose comes to the foreground with the spices and it's so very very beautiful.
An instant love!


THE CONTRACT OF THEOPHILUS OF ADANA

I dare not open this scroll. Temptation is the plague of men's spirits.
Parchment, Siamese benzoin, infernal incense, red musk, brimstone, and daemonorops.  

I usually respond well to the red musk but lately I've encountered some floral-heavy ones that didn't behave on me but were screaming loud and gave me a headache (TRICK#1, I'm looking at you), so I was pleasantly surprised and quite relieved since I already have a bottle on the way from the lab when I tested this decant. It's not too sweet, the paper note keeps it nice and dry, but not too dry. And the daemondrops (isn't that dragon's blood in some form?) keeps it from being too dry. It's downright gorgeous. The bottle that travels across the pond right now will be met with a lot of love.

 

THE GRINDHOUSE

Throaty laughter captures your attention. Across the lane you see a buxom Venetian woman standing before a huge black and red striped tent. Her head is inclined towards a dapper, leering man, and they appear to be sharing a private joke. He reaches into his waistcoat and produces a gold coin. The woman plucks it from his fingers. He bows, and walks into the tent with a swagger. A sign flashes above the tent flap in letters that seem to be aflame: The Grindhouse, Dead or Live Girls.

The Madam turns towards you and smiles. As she approaches, someone within the tent strikes a few keys on a tuneless piano, and begins to play Jelly Roll Morton's 'the Crave'. The light within the tent illuminates the interior, shining behind the silhouettes of naked women gyrating lewdly upon raised stages, writhing in time with the music.

In the distance, behind the tent, you hear a whip crack, and a man's scream. Tittering laughter follows, and the screams continue.

"Voulez-vous un morceau de la boîte de bonbon?" she asks, gesturing gracefully towards the tent.

The Madam's perfume envelops you.

Florentine iris, red musk, mimosa, magnolia, Damascus rose, clove, and vanilla bean.  

According to the description notes she is very floral but it doesn't really show up that much. She goes on as warm and comforting and I get the vanilla bean and maybe a little whiff of rose. The red musk is very much in the background but it's there.

Sadly she has magnolia and that's not really good for me, especially in a headache situation. It gets overwhelming.

 

 

THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT 2008
limited editions
2008 yules 

Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress. 

Mm this is good. I get the clove right away, and the mandarin. There is a little greenery in there but it's not overpowering. The rest of it I can't really pick out but it's good. I like it. It's not sweet and not really that spicy either, but I really like it. The longer it stays on my skin the better it gets. It's in the CLOD AND THE PEBBLE and FREDERIC area but smoother and not so powerful. It might just be a bottle in here. I have to test it a little more. I think a rollerbottle here is appropriate.  
 

THE WITCH QUEEN
stardust 

On a rocky mountain pass, on the southernmost slopes of Mount Belly, the witch-queen reined in her goat-drawn chariot and stopped and sniffed the chilly air.

The myriad stars hung cold in the sky above her.

Her red, red lips curved up into a smile of such beauty, such brilliance, such pure and perfect happiness that it would have frozen your blood in your veins to have seen it. "There," she said. "She is coming to me."

And the wind of the mountain pass howled about her triumphantly, as if in answer.

Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke. 

Holy florals batman! I think I have to give her some time to settle and/or try her on another time of the month because this was not a success!

She got better with time and when I didn't have the migraines lurking in the shadows. I can do a detailed review later but I want to be fair. She's not bad at all. Floral, yes, but not overwhelming. 

TOMOE GOZEN
limited editions
trading post inquisition
warrior queens

A "warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot." Tomoe Gozen was a fierce, noble, and courageous samurai, first captain, as well as a renowned beauty. She was an excellent swordswoman, famed for her riding ability and her skill at archery. She fought for Minamoto no Yoshinaka at Battle of Awazu, and her forces were defeated. Legend says she was seen holding the severed head of one of her foes on the battlefield, and vanished, never to be seen again.

HER PERFUME
Red currant, golden amber, blackberry, honey, and pink pepper.

She's been sitting in the flower box for a while and we just had a heat wave so she's really smooth now. I get sweet honey and just a hint of berry. The amber makes her even smoother. I think I like it although it's not instant love like with SEMIRAMIS.

HER BATH
Red currant and honey.

It had leaked so everything smelled of red currant and honey. It's just what it says it is. Red currant and honey. Do we like? We don't know yet.

 

TRICK #1
limited edition
Trick or Treat Inquisition 2006  

A double-dose of seedy that oozes rough-and-tumble sexuality while promoting vice-driven profitability! Volcanic red musk, vanilla bean, Queen Elizabeth root, red ginger, skin musk, black leather, honeycomb, honeysuckle, magnolia, and patchouli.  

Oh crap this one is good. Worth every penny (and I won it in a fist fight on ebay so it wasn't cheap).
I can't really describe it. I get the red musk (mmm) and I get honeysuckle, honey and I think vanilla.
But there is something else. Something that pulls me back to a good thing from my childhood. Well, no matter what it is, it's a wonderful scent. Feminine, sexy and maybe a tad dangerous.

On second testing the magnolia overwhelmed everything and unfortunately makes it unwearable. Very very sad. :(

 

 

 

S

SAMHAIN 2008
limited editions
halloweenies 

Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

It comes on a little sharp and I get a lot of patchouli here. The fir is also present but not in a bad way. I kinda like it here.

As it dries, the apple comes to the foregroud and I smell honey. The fir is gone now, and the patchouli is just keeping it from being too sweet. It's gorgeous.  

 

SAW-SCALED VIPER
carneval diabolique
snake pit 

Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. 

ah now I know what red ginger smells like. It's the apple note from WAR.

This one has the red ginger in the absolute forefront, closely followed by the cinnamon/cassia, which makes it much less sweet than I thought it would be. It's there though, lurking in the background, and i'm thinking it has to settle before I can get much out of this one. Maybe age a little too, so the snake oil can get to its round, creamy, deep stage. 

A couple of weeks and it's much sweeter and creamier already, and the ginger/apple note has moved more into the background and mellowed out quite a bit, like it has in WAR too. It has become the scent I was looking forward to testing and loving now, so the layering with snake oil I thought I would try to sweeten it up a little won't be necessary anymore. I get the snake oil right away, wrapped in cinnamon. Yay! Gorgeous!!  

 

SCHEREZADE

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. 

Red musk is my favorite single note and here it is accompanied by saffron and spice. This is made of win for me. One of the best fragrances i've ever had the pleasure of smelling.

And it gets better with age, deeper, sweeter and thicker. It doesn't get better than this.  

 

SCHWARZER MOND 2008:
BRIAN'S CREATION
a little lunacy

The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa.  

It hasn't had time to rest but hm, licorice? Not much but just a hint. And something else comes forth that I have smelled before but don't know where. Aah I know, it's pepper!

My heart sinks a little because pepper ruined THE IFRIT for me. But it's not as loud in this one, fortunately.

Oh there's myrrh. I can sense the black amber way back there, like a growl, but no patchouli whatsoever.

It dries down to bay rum and black amber, with a faint hint of pepper in the back. I've been sniffing and sniffing to see if I can live with it on my skin, other than a little dab on the back of my hand and the jury's still out. This phase is pretty good though.

Okay first impressions don't always stick. From the second try this one has soared into my top, uh, five. It's so heavenly gorgeous I don't even have the words. I wore it during the actual eclipse and it was so dark, so fitting, so perfect. It's not peppery any more at all, just dark and sweet and resin-y. The amber is dark, the musk is dark. The patchouli isn't prominent still, but I guess I can sense it way back there, just stabilizing the blend, making sure it doesn't get too sickingly sweet.

It's gorgeous. It really is. I wish I knew in time for when the next time money comes in but it's too late already. I can see myself getting into a fist fight on ebay over a bottle in the future though.

 

SCORPIO 07
limited editions 

Fixed Water: the essence of passion.
Dark musk, wormwood, basil, dragon's blood resin, galangal, and opoponax.  

At first it doesn't make much of itself. All I get is a smoky kind of stone feel. It doesn't take long for it to get really gorgeous though. I only did a test test (…) so I will have to do it again but I think I can say this is one I will cherish.

Second testing and again it starts out with this dry, smoky stone feel, not very intrusive. I have to work a little to catch it. And then, as time passes, it sweetens up and I can recognize the SCHWARZER MOND components. As it starts to really become one with my skin I put my nose to my wrist and there is this hyper sexy smell that I know I recognize from somewhere. And then it hits me. RED PHOENIX. This wonderful gorgeous amazing blend is the love child of my two favorites. How lucky am I? And how very Scorpio to morph around like this and end up in pure lust? Oh man this is a work of art, and a very wearable one too. I hit ebay for a back up almost immediately. And won. :)  

SEMIRAMIS
limited editions
trading post inquisition
warrior queens

A legendary Assyrian queen, often identified with Sammu-Ramat, the wife of Shamshi-Adad V, she was believed to be the daughter of the goddess Atargatis. Her youth was filled with mythic adventure, and her otherworldly beauty and voluptuous sexuality ensured her two advantageous marriages. When she took the reins of power of Empress of Assyria, she expanded her kingdom by conquering much of Mesopotamia and Asia. She beautified and revitalized Babylon, and implemented improvements in Nineveh that helped to moderate the flow of the Tigris. She was renowned for her military and political prowess, as well as her ferocious and merciless sexual appetite.

HER PERFUME
Red musk, pomegranate, orange blossom, and melon.

Fruity and red-musky all the way with a whiff of orange flower. I don't get melon but i'm thinking it blends into the pomegranate and is a part of the fruit. Man this is gorgeous. It's regal and not too heavy. I love her!

And the strange thing is that the last month or so i've been craving this exact scent. I had no idea I had it coming but yay here she is. :)

HER BATH
Red musk, pomegranate, red cherry, myrrh, and blood orange.

Ah! this is exactly like I hoped it would be. I put it on my body in the shower and red musk comes through with the cherry in a way that reminds me a little of BLACK PHOENIX only a quiet version. Mm gorgeus! This is one of my all time faves and it breaks my heart that I only have one back up because I use it almost every day.

 

SILAS RUTHYN
Opium smoke, opium tar, mandarin, dark musk, patchouli, tonka, vetiver, and frankincense.  

Vetiver right away as always when it's part of the scenario, but it doesn't take long for the other elements to peak through. First a slight sweetness I'm pretty sure is the frankincense, followed by citrus, but only a hint. It's very well blended. The opium is making it's presence known as a dry, hard note, very hard to describe but I know that's what it is because i've tried it once and I recognize it. I can't really get a hold of the patchouli if that's not the menthol-ish layer on top. It falls nicely in with my latest fave DEATH ADDER, only without the SNAKE OIL. Gorgeous. Dark and dangerous, just the way I like it. Long after drydown, when I woke up in the morning, I had this really creepy mix of sexual musk and men's cologne wafting around me on my way to the bathroom. At first I thought the cats had been playing around with my bottle of BLACK LACE and broken it but then (after running around the house making sure all my precious were intact) I realized it was uncle SILAS who had glued himself to me and wouldn't let me go. Oh wow, that's art! I'm impressed! I have to make sure I take a shower before bed when I wear it but man, that was a good addition to the story.

SILK ROAD
wanderlust 

Lab description:A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa.  

i swapped this one with ziza. it went bad on her but is just nice, warm and spicy on me, although a little dry.

I love it. it lasts for quite a while too. a bottle in the future is not unthinkable.
actually i have a bottle and i have a rollerbottle too, which is why i put it in storage. ;)

 

SIN

Lab description: "Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon."

i put it on when we were getting the camera because it feels almost sinful to spend that much money on a toy. a useful toy but still. it reminds me of SCHEREZADE only stronger and more powerful, and a lot more dry.
  

SMUT 2008
Smut! Smut! Smut! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. 

This one is very very nice. It's exactly what it says in the description, musky, sugary and boozy. The booze dies down a little and the musk comes to the forefront once it comes on the skin. I can see why this one will be good layered with something else too because it's so humble in all it's sultry sexyness.the throw is very good. I shake my head and go to sugary musky heaven.

Two things though: it does go a little stale on my wrist and it fades pretty fast. 

Actually, after wearing it and layering it with other things for a while i'm finding that it stays for a long time on me, probably depending a little on what i'm layering it with. It also doesn't go stale on me when I don't eat garlic any more so that had something to say.
It layers well with most things i've tried. I have ordered a back-up bottle. 

 

SNAKE CHARMER: RESURRECTED
limited edition
anniversary 08 

Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.  

Oh man, oh crap, this is amazing stuff. It's every bit as wonderful as they say. It's a slinky, sexy thing that stays close to your skin. It's not a loud one, but it stays lovingly on my skin for hours and hours. Oh man I think I need a back up... I can only imagine what this will be with a little ageing.

When I put some on in the evening I kinda changed my mind though. It's good but it's a little strong late in the day. Maybe one bottle is enough. The dollar is expensive these days and I need to think really hard about every bottle I get. Uh no I ordered a back up. It gets better with every application. 

 

SNAKE OIL

By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla. 

i put this one on as soon as i got it and it's heavenly. not so intrusive but very very sweet.

It's rich and sweet vanilla and probably red musk even if no one says so.

Aged this one is so gorgeous it brings tears to my eyes.  

 

SPAWN OF THE SHE-DEMON  

Diabolical red and black musk with rooibos and mango tea.

I should have learned not to put on perfume and especially not something with red musk when I have a migraine so the first encounter was a little more powerful than it had to be.

That said I think i'm gonna like this later, when I don't get nauseous by just about anything... 

 

SPELLBOUND
love potions 

Perfectly enchanting! An irresistibly sexual, utterly rapturous blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk.  

I tried on a little bit and the amber was very prominent on me, plus it smells a little old. Not as in old perfume but as in something past. It's good though, very good. But it's not very shy.

It has things in common with SCHEREZADE only it has roses. Oh man I love it. Yeah. Instant love.

Light brown in spite of the roses but I think we have a permanent member of the fave box here.
 

STICKY PILLOWCASE
limited editions
halloweenies 08

Terminal sugar rush. A little goblin's candy bag, upended.
Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint.

I thought it would be sweeter than it actually is. It's not very loud and not as sugary as SUGAR SCULL but it's sweet and a little fruity. I obviously have to test it more -and I will because I like it.

STRAWBERRY MOON 2009
a little lunacy

Strawberries that in gardens grow
Are plump and juicy fine,
But sweeter far as wise men know
Spring from the woodland vine.

No need for bowl or silver spoon,
Sugar or spice or cream,
Has the wild berry plucked in June
Beside the trickling stream.

One such to melt at the tongue's root,
Confounding taste with scent,
Beats a full peck of garden fruit:
Which points my argument.

May sudden justice overtake
And snap the froward pen,
That old and palsied poets shake
Against the minds of men.

Blasphemers trusting to hold caught
In far-flung webs of ink,
The utmost ends of human thought
Till nothing's left to think.

But may the gift of heavenly peace
And glory for all time
Keep the boy Tom who tending geese
First made the nursery rhyme.

Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap.

I was worried it would be bad on me like VELVET UNICORN but it stays true to my skin. It's good and not too sweet. Yeah. I can wear this.

SUCK IT
limited editions
halloweenies

A companion to Bite Me. Layers well with Lick It. Hee!
Sexy and suckable: black cherry brandy.

Not almond and not sweet when wet. Bite me has more cherry than this.
But let's wait and see.
It morphs into sweeter and smoother. It really is a good companion to BITE ME, I have one on each wrist.

SUGAR COOKIE 2008
limited editions
yules 

Affectionately nicknamed 'The Devil's Bake Sale'.  

It's sweet and buttery and it smells heavenly in the bottle and while very wet on my skin. Unfortunately my skin turns it into plastic during drydown. I'm not sure what to do with it yet because I really really don't want to part with it but it could be that I give it away for yule. We'll see. It's good layered with BUTTER RUM COOKIE though, but I don't need a whole bottle for that. Maybe Linn.  

 

SUGAR MOON
No way to see him
on this moonless night ---
I lie awake longing, burning,
breasts racing fire,
heart in flames.

Sugar cane, blue musk, mahogany, black orchid, black currant, violet, blackberry leaf, teak, strawberry, and dusky rose.

From the pre-test I couldn't help doing on the back of my arm it's absolutely gorgeous so i'm looking forward to the real testing.

Sugary-boozy in the bottle, but once it gets on my skin it smells like ...wait...celery? I missed that stage in the pre-test.

It doesn't stay in that stage for long though, soon it sweetens and the sugar comes out, with a little whiff of violet waaay in the back, more like a gentle cool coloring than anything else. It goes through a couple more subtle incarnations before it settles on strawberry without being sweet or heavy. I absolutely love it! It's gorgeous on me and it lasts for a very long time.

 

SUGAR SKULL 2008
limited editions
halloweenies 08

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. 

It's very like the 2007 version, actually I can't tell the difference. But I haven't put them side by side either, so until I do, I can't say.

That said, it's very sugary, in a slightly burnt, smoky way. I get sugar more than fruits. But it's pure candy with maybe a musky edge waaay in the back there.

SUNBIRD
limited edition set
neil gaiman

They were all so hungry the following morning. Zebediah T. Crawcrustle had a comedic apron on, with the words KISS THE COOK written upon it in violently green letters. He had already sprinkled the brandy-soaked raisins and grain beneath the stunted avocado tree behind the house, and he was arranging the scented woods, the herbs, and the spices on the bed of charcoal. Mustapha Stroheim and his family had gone to visit relatives on the other side of Cairo.

"Does anybody have a match?" Crawcrustle asked.

Jackie Newhouse pulled out a Zippo lighter, and passed it to Crawcrustle, who lit the dried cinnamon leaves and dried laurel leaves beneath the charcoal. The smoke drifted up into the noon air.

"The cinnamon and sandalwood smoke will bring the Sunbird," said Crawcrustle.

"Bring it from where?" asked Augustus TwoFeathers.

"Why, where it always is, third lane after the old market in the Suntown district, just before you reach the old drainage ditch that was once an irrigation canal, and if you find yourself outside One-eye Khayam's carpet shop you have gone too far, "began Crawcrustle. "But I see by the expressions of irritation upon your faces that you were expecting a less succinct, less accurate description. Very well. It is in Suntown, and Suntown is in Cairo, in Egypt, where it always is, or almost always."

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present a numbered, limited edition chapbook of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed short story, Sunbird, beautifully illustrated by Julie Dillon. Each package includes a 5ml bottle of perfume, created by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, that was inspired by the tale. In Neil's words, "'Sunbird' smells like resin and deserts and the phoenix." This set is a limited run of 1000. 250 were sold by CBLDF at San Diego Comic Con 2009, and the remainder are available through the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab web site. Sunbird will be available on the BPAL site as long as supplies last. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single set go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community.

A million thanks and all our love to Neil, and to Charles Brownstein and his staff at the CBLDF!

Sharp at first and I'm thinking eucalyptus, but realize it was probably cedar. It goes through a couple of rapid changes, I get spices and woods. Sandalwood and cedar are at the foreground for a little while and cinnamon comes out to play. And then it settles in a warm, smooth, mouth-watering and spicy red musk. I love love love love.

 

 

 

R

 

 

RED LANTERN 2008
A tribute to the opium den cum bawdyhouses of Shanghai in the 1930's. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice.  

It comes on a little foody but I think that's the caramel and cocnut. I can sense the tobacco but it's not powerful at all. Man this is good. I just hope it stays good on my wrists and that it doesn't go stale like some food scents can do on me.

Drydown is gorgeos but not on my wrists so I have to apply it in other places.

I'm glad I got this one, it's very complex and very beautiful. 

 

RED MOON 2007
a little lunacy 

August is a month of reflection. It is the month of rest before the harvest, and it holds for us a time between toils, a brief period of relaxation before we take up the burden of our work again. It is the Time of the Phoenix, a season of celebrating health, vitality, warmth and joy, but it is also the time at which the Corn God dies for the sake of the land, his blood soaking the earth to ensure a bountiful harvest in the fall.

The Full Red Moon of August was named thus by some Native American tribes because as the moon rises, it dons a reddish veil, visible through the hot, sweltering summer evening haze. Our blend for this Moon mixes traditional lunar oils with the warmth of amber, red musk, and heliotrope, the russet haze of dragon's blood resin, sunflower, and crushed orange peel, with a dusting of summertime herbs: chamomile, rue, elder flower and marigold.  

I slathered some on right away, when I decanted some into a roller bottle, which is rarely a good idea before I know what i'm dealing with, especially when i'm on the far edge of a flu as I am now. My nose isn't really up to snuff yet (...), but I don't think it was a disaster. This is a good one. Yep, the red musk, not very floral at all, and mmm some spice, and what is that? Is that orange peel?

Clearly I will have to come back, but something tells me it's gonna be enjoyable. 

I come back to this one frequently actually, but I seem to forget to report it.

Orange peel is a prominent note with the red musk, and the herbal/floral note is also present, but I was surprised when someone mentioned that it has dragon's blood at the forum. I had to go look at the description and yep, there it is. Not on me though. I tested BLOODLUST the other day and in spite of the vetiver and the red musk, two notes that usually take over, it was a dragon's blood scent to me. So this was interesting and very cool.

I love this one actually. I wear it as often as I can, taking into consideration that I only have a partial bottle from ebay. I have to save it a little.  

 

RED PHOENIX
limited editions
anniversary 

A celebration of three years of decadence, determination, death and rebirth. Red musk, tonka, Chinese cassia, mandarin, patchouli, benzoin, wild plum and tobacco.
 

I knew I would like this but man I didn't know how much.

The first thing I notice is cinnamon but it's smooth with a sweet hint. A fruity sweet hint, not like CHIMERA that can easily slide over in too much no matter how gorgeous it is.

I got some on me unintentionally decanting it into a roller bottle, because i'm testing THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM today and wasn't prepared for this one. They layer very well though, and by now the red musk has had time to come out and play. And it does. Sexy sexy.

It came in a blue bottle. I've never seen that before so I assume it's old (it was a purchase from a fellow forumite so I haven't checked yet...checking...oh okay 05), and it's beautiful. I wish the blue bottles would come back.

Scratch that, I want the scent to come back, because I would hoard it.

I will do a more in depth test later since it didn't get to shine alone today but I have a feeling it's more than capable of holding it's own. 

Online: Cassia is the first one to come to the forefront but once it's on it's sexy sexy red musk, with a juicy sidekick i'm thinking is the plum. The warm scent of tobacco (a note I never thought I would like after I stopped smoking but it's very different from what I thought it would be, it's warm and brown and comforting) comes through as a backdrop everything else is played against. This one is sailing right up there as a favorite and it's physically painful to know it's so hard to get more of.

I just mixed a little bit with some jojoba oil and scented my hair with it. Man I smell gorgeous!

 

RED ROSE
Red rose buds, with amber, clove, tonka, Indian musk, fir, and tobacco. 

this one is in the BAGHDAD family only much better. A spicy rose with a deep echo of something old, but good old.

ROSE RED 2007
limited editions
yules07

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

oh wow this one smells exactly like red roses!! often rose scents, although undoubtedly being rose scents, don't actually smell like the flowers. but this one does. while wet i even get a little whiff of the water in the vase but once it dries, it's all roses. real roses. this one is limited edition so it didn't come in an imp, i had to get the bottle unsniffed, but man am i happy i got this one!! it smells exactly like the one red rose i get in my garden every year.

 

 

P

PARLEMENT OF FOULES 2008
limited editions
lupercalia 08

For the Valentine's Day purists.

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his mate.

Medieval romance and courtly love. White rose and soft resins. 

Definitely roses although maybe a little sharper than the red one as it goes on.

It softens as it starts to dry and it's definitely a white scent, this. I'm not usually a huge fan of the white ones but this one is good, with potential to become gorgeous with a little patience on my part. 

Dry: Oh I was right. It softens quite a bit and this is like white velvet. Silk velvet, smooth and warm and brilliant at the same time, very romantic. Absolutley beautiful.  

 

PEACOCK QUEEN 2007
limited editions
yules07

In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred. 

there is no doubt this one is closer to the sexual and a little dirty. it still manages to keep the regal air though, it's not dirty as in slutty, although it's not asexual it's corrupt in a different way. but the description is pretty accurate. this is delicate pink rose with a thorn. scarlett o'hara comes to mind actually.
 

PENUMBRA
The observer’s space within a partial eclipse.

Rich purple musk, moonflower, red sandalwood, black amber, oakmoss, copal, lavender, neroli, tobacco, and pomegranate.

Oh it's not bad. I agree with everyone who said it smells purple because it does. I was thinking it had some kind of wood in there but it's probably the oakmoss, which by the way is good here and grounds the blend. Gorgeous. There is something in here that reminds me a little of SUGAR MOON. In a very good way. It's probably the purple musk because it dried down to a very bluesh musky thing. The morning after it was still musky on my skin. Not bad on me at all, but a little loud maybe.

There will be more testing before I will decide either way though.

It goes on a little herbal but as soon as it hits the skin, the sparkling purple musk comes out. Other than that I can't really single out any notes because it's so well blended. It's gorgeous though. I love it. This time it wasn't loud at all, it was just right.
 

POTHÔN MÊTÊR
limited editions
lupercalia09

Mother of Desire.
Rose absolute, caramel, ripe red berries, pink pepper, Balsam of Peru, cognac, and benzoin.  

What? No spices but pepper? And here I was thinking nutmeg and cardamom and cinnamon and all sorts of things. It must be the pink pepper. I am getting the rose though, after I dries down a little, but it's a spicy rose and not a clean one. Maybe, just maybe caramel waay back there as a burnt sugar kind of smell and I can't identify cognac. The berries are really red and really ripe and makes this sweet and almost candy-ish but not quite.

When it's completely dry it reminds me of BAGHDAD, but it's more complex than that. It's really really gorgeous.
 

PUMPKIN II
limited editions
halloweenies 08 

Pumpkin with black musk, leather accord, tonka, teak, orange wood, and opoponax.  

Oh man am I happy I took a blind shot and got this one! Turns out I love pumpkin.

And behind that buttery cake note I sense something dark and sinister, something that brings a little tear to my eye. And I sense something vanilla dancing in the backgrouns. Orange wood i¨'m not sure of since I don't know how it smells, but all in all i'm loving this one. It's foody but no going stale on my wrist so yay for that. Maybe a foody scent I can actually wear and be happy with. 

PUMPKIN V
limited editions
halloweenies 08

Pumpkin with cranberry, strawberry, red musk, red rose, rosehip, frankincense, fig, jasmine, and carnation. 

I was worried because of the jasmine but no more. I even have a headache and it's undetectable. Possible bottle but definitely rollerbottle

 

O

ON DARKNESS
limited editions
2008 yules 

You darkness, that I come from,
I love you more than all the fires
that fence in the world,
for the fire makes
a circle of light for everyone,
and then no one outside learns of you.
But the darkness pulls in everything;
shapes and fires, animals and myself,
how easily it gathers them! --
powers and people --
and it is possible a great energy
is moving near me.
I have faith in nights.

An embrace: black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin.  

It's dark and sweet and when wet I get roses way back there but it's not really roses, more like a cousin of roses. There is a sharp note in here that could probably be lavender. I'm waiting for it to calm down a little because it's kinda overpowering. Behind it I can sense some smoother notes though and it may be worth the wait.

Oh yeah it certainly is. Oh man this may be bottle worthy goodness. No more rose-cousins but sweet and warm and delicious.

N

NOW WINTER NIGHTS ENLARGE
limited editions
yules09

Now winter nights enlarge
The number of their hours,
And clouds their storms discharge
Upon the airy towers.
Let now the chimneys blaze,
And cups o'erflow with wine;
Let well-tuned words amaze
With harmony divine.
Now yellow waxen lights
Shall wait on honey love,
While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights
Sleep's leaden spells remove.

This time doth well dispense
With lovers' long discourse;
Much speech hath some defence,
Though beauty no remorse.
All do not all things well;
Some measures comely tread,
Some knotted riddles tell,
Some poems smoothly read.
The summer hath his joys
And winter his delights;
Though love and all his pleasures are but toys,
They shorten tedious nights.

Shorten those tedious nights with a surge of body heat: vanilla-infused red musk, champaca, petitgrain, ylang ylang, patchouli, nutmeg, honey, galbanum, and traces of caramel.

oh wow this is gorgeous! I was a little scared of the ylang ylang but I had no reason to. At some point it reminds me a little of Bien Loin D'ici but it's smoother. This is caramel but with a serious twist. Oh yes. Yes yes.

 

M

MARIANNE
Red musk, bergamot, black currant, mimosa, orchid, patchouli, and lotus root.  

I was worried about the lotus root when I read her description, but I couldn't pass her up on my quest through the land of the red musks so I braved it and ordered her. And i'm very glad I did.

I didn't give her time to settle, I had to swipe some on my wrist as soon as I opened the box and she came on in a gorgeous swirl of red musk. She gave me a couple of minutes to enjoy and then she morphed into something that reminded me a little of bubble gum. I realized that was the lotus area so I was a little weary and waited for the nausea lotus usually brings me, but it didn't come.

This lady is utterly lovely. A little bad and a little innocent, but with the intent of giving you pleasure.

And man, does she ever.

MECHANICAL PHOENIX
anniversary blend 

lab description:A mechanical construct: illustrating strong work ethic, determination, creativity, and innovation. Copper gears, brass cogs, fused wiring, scorched iron, and motor oil. 

It's taken me some time to try this one even if this is the one I had really high hopes for. I'm not disappointed although i'm not sure it's the kind of smell I was expecting. It's definitely a little masculine but at the same time it's not. I really don't have anything to compare it with because it smells like nothing else. And at the same time it's very familiar.

I can't say if it's motor oil. Probably not. But it does remind me of my dad in a way too.

I think I can safely say this is the strangest perfume that has ever touched my skin. I like it though. Maybe I even love it.

 

MELAINIS
The dark, of night.
Teak, frankincense, caramel, oakmoss, red currant, labdanum absolute, bitter clove, patchouli, star anise, tobacco, and black musk.  

at first it reminded me of one of the grindhouse girls and they didn't do much for me unfortunately so I was immediately a little disappointed. But as the minutes ticked by I got more and more excited. Oh man this is good. It's touching SCHWARZER MOND area, deep and dark and sinister but more feminine. I love it. 

MIDNIGHT KISS

Eternal desire, unquenchable passion: red musk, cocoa absolute, Nepalese amber, red sandalwood, aged patchouli, nicotiana, and blood wine.  

it doesn't smell very good in the bottle, it's probably the cocoa overpowering everything. but once it's on it calms down a little and i can sense amber and musk and ...tobacco? i'm putting it on before gym so i will wear this one half the day just to check it out. i think i like it actually. i get a little reminder of THE GREAT SWORD OF WAR but it's far from the same, this one is smoother and more golden i think. i'll know more when i come back home. 

oh yeah it was very nice. the drydown was pleasant and it turned into a smooth, pale yellow scent that didn't make itself known too much but just enough to remind me it was there.

 
MIDNIGHT MASS 2008
limited editions
yules 

In Roman Catholic tradition, the Christmas season begins liturgically on Christmas Eve, though it is forbidden to celebrate the Christmas Mass before midnight. The most devout attend Midnight Mass, celebrating both the Eucharist and the drama of the Nativity.

This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God. 

I was immediately reminded of CATHEDRAL but it's not quite as sweet and woody, it's slightly more smoky. Because of this I had MIDNIGHT MASS on one wrist and CATHEDRAL on the other while testing it. They are less alike than I thought they would be when I first sniffed MIDNIGHT MASS in the bottle. CATHEDRAL is lighter and sweeter and it doesn't have the smoke thing going on to the degree MIDNIGHT MASS does. Usually i'm a little weary when it comes to smoke because some smoky scents hasn't worked on me but this one dries down to sweet and resiny gorgeousness. It outlasts CATHEDRAL and when it dries it's much better too. Who knew?

 

MIRCALLA, COUNTESS KARNSTEIN
limited editions
halloweenies
litterary vampires

(Carmilla, Sheridan LeFanu)
Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardor of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever." Then she had thrown herself back in her chair, with her small hands over her eyes, leaving me trembling.

Languid, melancholy fire: red musk, purple orchid, frankincense, smoky vanilla, Styrian herbs, peru balsam, tonka, Zanzibar clove, and patchouli.

In the very beginning I get the smooth red musk I love so much, but the next second an intense floral rises it's purple head and snarles at me. It stays and stays and stays until almost half an hour later when the rest of the goodies are allowed to come out and play. She's not at all bad when they do though.

I'm unsure about her although she has my beloved red musk. She's in THE GRINDHOUSE and THE WITCH QUEEN category, overwhelming and a little suffocating. A little too floral i'm afraid and i'm amazed a little orchid can do all that. But it might change with time.

MLLE. LILITH, FORTUNE TELLER
limited edition
forum only

Coconut and a bit of sugar with pomegranate, pink musk, orange blossom, cypress, honey myrtle, and incense.

The first time I tried this I was thinking man, this is the baby version of mme moriarty. The second time it's not the first thing I think. I get the red musk at once but it morphs into blue musk (yeah I know it's pink musk we're dealing with), and it reminds me a little of SUGAR MOON. It's pretty good though, allthough not when I have a headache. Worthy of a roller bottle.

 

MME MORIARTY; MISFORTUNE TELLER
carnaval diabolique 

A colorless woman bursts from an elaborate gold and ruby tent and faints dead at your feet. Soft laughter emits from the dark entrance to the tent, and the scent of musk, black fruits and incense touches your senses. Looking up, you see that the sign hovering above the unconscious woman is adorned with images of the Major Arcana's Tower and reads:

Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller.
No fate too grim, no future too bleak.

A tiny woman with floor-length black dreadlocks walks out of the tent, stepping over the prone body. She is clothed in deep red wrappings, and is bedecked in golden ornaments bearing alchemical symbols and charms representing eternity, chance, and wisdom. She pauses, looks you over slowly, and then flicks a tarot card at your feet.

Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum. 

Oh this is a future favorite, I can already tell. It's sultry, smoky, spicy and sexy, and the red musk is a little sharp here but I bet it's gonna be amazing with a little bit of age even if it's good now.

There's another sharpness that is very strange and it stays and stays. I know it's the patchouli but it gives me visions. It's like burnt wood and suddenly it changes into sweetened turpentine, and then it changes again and I get a fruity side of it. I had this image/feeling/vision, kind of a calmness you can't trust, something like an unsettling shadow in the corner of a cozy room. I love it to pieces.

 

MVJBA

MISCATONIC VALLEY JUNIOR BASEBALL ASSOCIATION SPRING TRAINING '08 PERFUME OIL

Since 1928, Mother Shub and her brood have been providing the snack shacks of the Miskatonic Valley with a bevy of otherworldly sweets and baked treats. This year, Mother Shub has created a promotional perfume oil that embodies the scent of her famous Peanut Brittle Caramel Popcorn. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Thank you for an eon of community support!

Very nice! It's a little like MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY but without the coffee and the booze. It's sweet and foody and it didn't go stale on me like some foody scents can do. Loving the caramel!

MVJBA PANCAKE BREAKFAST
Buttermilk pancakes with boysenberry syrup and goat butter!  

Oh yeah, pancake. When it starts to dry I get boysenberry and after a while it dries down to maple syrup and stays there for a long time. I like.
 

MVJBA SUMMER SUMMONING SPECTACULAR
Scorched baseball fields, black glots of incense, spilled coffee, and pancake residue.

This one is pancakes in the bottle, and the scorched baseball fields in the middle and in the end it dries down to maple syrup. It's not bad but the pancake one is better. At second try i'm liking it even more. The grass part is keeping the sweetness in check and adds a quality I can't put my finger on but it's gorgeous. Man am I glad I got this one.

 

L

 

THE SALON: LADY LILITH
limited editions
forum only

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Climbing rose, vanilla cream, vanilla flower, white tea, mandarin, red and white musks, opium poppy, Parma violet, and opoponax.

It's softer than I thought a scent with red musk in it would be, and it's not very sweet. That said though, the red musk is in there and it is a sweet scent in a way. But it's sweet in a baby sort of way. It's like smelling the top of a baby head, that kind of soft.

I can also detect a citrus-y thing back there, but because it's mandarin it has a softer quality.

All in all this is a lovely blend. It fits the celebration of a new baby perfectly without losing the feeling of the lady lilith. On me, it goes a little powdery. But I can still use it, only not when I have a headache.

LAMBS-WOOL
limited editions
halloweenies

According to William Shepard Walsh, the Gentleman's Magazine for May of 1784 stated, "this is a constant ingredient at merrymaking on Holy Eve." He also quotes Vallancey's etymological speculation: "The first day of November was dedicated to the angel presiding over fruits, seeds, etc., and was therefore named La Mas Ubhal, -- that is, the day of the apple fruit, -- and being pronounced Lamasool, the English have corrupted the name to Lambs-wool."

A popular holy day beverage in 18th century Ireland: roasted apples mashed into warmed milk and ale, with nutmeg, sugar, ginger, and clove.

Apple and cinnamon and spices. It made me crave and make apple pie. It's not really that sweet though, not at first. With a little time it sweetens and smoothens and it's very good.

LUNAR ECLIPSE
limited editions

Skoll the wolf who shall scare the Moon
Till he flies to the Wood-of-Woe:
Hati the wolf, Hridvitnir's kin,
Who shall pursue the Sun.

Red musk, black currant, violet leaf, wild frankincense, lavender, black orchid, Darjeeling tea, vetiver, red moss, myrrh, Moroccan spices, blackened fruit gums, and tobacco.

The first thing that occurred to me was that it smells clean. Maybe that's because it wasn't sweet at all. It's so well blended I can't really pick any noes, except maybe a very faint whiff of red musk. I also imagine I get anise but it's not listed so maybe it's the tea, or the moroccan spices may have a smidge of anise in them. I love it though. Love love.  

I got it from a forumite and i'm very happy I did. Excuse me while I make the label for a rollerbottle...

LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY
limited editions

Percy Bysshe Shelley
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle; --
Why not I with thine?

See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven,
If it disdained it's brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea; --
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

Mmm very nice in the bottle, rich and creamy.  As I put it on I'm expecting it to turn stale like some foody scents do but this one doesn't. It's just sweet and caramel-y, probably held a little in check by the saffron. Oh I like!

After it's dries it remains wonderful with caramel/vanilla coming off my skin.

It stays pretty close though. I have to put my nose all the way to my wrist to smell it, but that's just nice. It reminds me a little of MIDWAY but this one is even better. I'm very happy I bought it.

LUCY, KISSED
limited edition
halloweenies

There was a long spell of silence, big, aching, void, and then from the Professor a keen "S-s-s-s!" He pointed, and far down the avenue of yews we saw a white figure advance, a dim white figure, which held something dark at its breast. The figure stopped, and at the moment a ray of moonlight fell upon the masses of driving clouds, and showed in startling prominence a dark-haired woman, dressed in the cerements of the grave. We could not see the face, for it was bent down over what we saw to be a fair-haired child. There was a pause and a sharp little cry, such as a child gives in sleep, or a dog as it lies before the fire and dreams. We were starting forward, but the Professor's warning hand, seen by us as he stood behind a yew tree, kept us back. And then as we looked the white figure moved forwards again. It was now near enough for us to see clearly, and the moonlight still held. My own heart grew cold as ice, and I could hear the gasp of Arthur, as we recognized the features of Lucy Westenra. Lucy Westenra, but yet how changed. The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness. Van Helsing stepped out, and obedient to his gesture, we all advanced too. The four of us ranged in a line before the door of the tomb.

Van Helsing raised his lantern and drew the slide. By the concentrated light that fell on Lucy's face we could see that the lips were crimson with fresh blood, and that the stream had trickled over her chin and stained the purity of her lawn death-robe.

Diabolical voluptuousness, a siren song from the grave: juniper and yew brushing against blackened violets and funeral roses, red musk and hot blood, veined white marble and icy, brittle musk, all pulsing with the sinister, hypnotic scent of patchouli, amber, oude, and cubeb.

Sharp and icy as she goes on and i'm thinking jasmine or white florals but it's probably the white musk and maybe the violets. She calms down in the end but it takes a good 15 mins.

Once she does she's gorgeous though. Rose is coming out and also the red musk. Oh I can use this. No roller bottle just yet though.

 

LURID LIBRARY
Limited editions

The Haunted House 2007

The incense-tinged scent of forbidden tomes and the musk-laden remnants of infernal servants.

It was leaking when it arrived and with a glass wand inside so I'm assuming it has been a part of a personal collection and has been used. Maybe that's why it smells old. Or maybe that's the way it's supposed to smell. I can't really tell. It's not very good though.

 

LUST
seven deadly sins

Uncontrollable passion and insatiable sexual desire: red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh.

Mmm gorgeous. A bottle is on my order list.

It reminds me of SCHEREZADE more than any other oil even if I don't think anything but the red musk connects them. I get whiffs of the ylang ylang/myrrh combo (which has cooled down the love for scents for me before when they have been at the foreground), but here they have to deal with the red musk and they play nice.

 

 

K

 

KABUKI
ars amatoria 

lab description: Compelling, complex, and utterly enigmatic: a luxuriant, exotic blend of cherry, red musk, and star anise.  

Cherry is dominant as I wearily put a little on my wrist, and it smells so good I slather it all over myself without waiting for the drydown-changes.

This is BLACK PHOENIX territory, only with licorice that comes out when it dries a little and stays. In a good way though, it's not like in AQUARIUS where it gets a little nauseating. Here it is all good and gorgeous and a definite new love.
 

KHRYSEÊ
limited editions
lupercalia 09

Golden. Vanilla amber and orange blossom.

When I put it on I'm thinking creamy orange and maybe a tad too much but when it dries it turns into a subtle SMUT with a twist. Gorgeous. This one came in as a replacement for MILLER VS CALIFORNIA that was more expensive than I realized before I sent the order. But I think I'm happy with the result. No I know I am.

Oh man yeah I am, because MILLER VS CALIFORNIA was horrible on me (I got a decant). I haven't actually used KHRYSEÈ much though because the vanilla amber went a little wonky on me at some point. But I'm trying it again now (months later) and it's absolutely wearable. It's spicy vanilla with an orange, but not citrus, overtone. Mmm.

 
KRAMPUS 06
limited edition 

Anything BUT jolly! Draped with chains and bells, wielding both whip and rod, this rag-clad, horned, red-skinned, soot-covered leering creature is both the companion and the antithesis of rosy-cheeked and ebullient Kris Kringle. He is called by many names, and, in a myriad of cultures, he is seen with different robes and faces, but he is nevertheless always a sinister and fearsome instrument of Santa's wrath: he wields a switch on all irredeemably naughty children before tossing them into his large black sack and whisking them away.

Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches.  

Krampus has turned out to be one of my favorites. Krampus is my friend when no one else is. I don't know why because at first he really does smell like old dishwashing cloths, but only for a second. He dries down to the most gorgeous red musk/leather combination.

He never gets on my nerves even when I have the migraines and can't really stand perfume at all. I have a back up bottle coming in the mail. He is limited but I found one at the forum. Unused and straight from the will call store. Yay, lucky me. :)
 

KRAMPUS 07 

I can't detect any difference between the two. 07 is my back up bottle now

I

IRRELEVANT AND DISTURBING SURREAL CRAWDAD DREAM
If there was one thing that I think encapsulates the whole experience of pregnancy for me, it would be the Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream. Since conception, my dreamscape has been unusually bizarre, bordering on the demented. One of my baby books told me that I'd be having nonstop dreams about puppies, kittens, and baby bunnies. Really? 'Cuz my dreams are filled with zombie-driven ice trucks that are late for delivery on my kid's birthday, masquerades where people come as themselves, a quest to cure possessed individuals (in this dream, you could tell that people were possessed by how annoying they were) by hitting them on the head with large rocks, and, of course, millions of malformed crawdads with human faces filling up numerous 18-wheeler truck beds.

Nary a bunny nor kitten to be found.

Par for the course during pregnancy? For me, it is.

An irrelevant, disturbing, and surreal scent: red currant, green tea, red musk, Hawaiian ginger, benzoin, vanilla, coriander, squash blossom, and blueberry.

mmm blueberry and red musk.

I have only tested it lightly once so I have to come back to it. But so far it's fruity/berry goodness with the red musk edge I like so much.

Many “tests” later and it's still good. I don't have much more to say about it. It's still fruity/berry goodness with blueberry and red musk up front. Oh and I get the tea now. It's not DORIAN tea thank goodness, because it keeps the scent in check instead of taking over the world.

One of my loves, obviously. Which is great considering how hard it was to get it to come to me. It was forgotten by the lab twice so I got it like two months after everyone else.

 

 

H

HABU
Snake Oil with ho wood, teak, black musk, and bamboo. 

hm. not at all what I expected. It's much less sweet and much more dry than I thought it would be. That said, it's not bad. The bamboo and the teak is prominent at first but after a little while snake oil comes out. I think ageing will do good here too.

HELLHOUND ON MY TRAIL

… blues falling down like hail
And the day keeps on remindin' me, there's a hellhound on my trail …

August 16th marks the day the Devil came to call on the King of the Delta Blues.

Bay rum, bourbon vanilla, galangal, hyssop, High John the Conqueror root, tobacco, life everlasting, and brimstone.  

At first I was a little skeptic because it had a little pepper-y edge but that was clearly just my imagination playing tricks on me. Maybe it's the brimstone, but I think it was the smoky edge this scent has that threw me there for a minute.

Once I was past that, I liked it.  

It's hard to get a hold of the bourbon vanilla but it's way in there with the bay rum.

I don't think this is a masculine scent necessarily, although i can easily see it on a guy. It's not very sweet but not all that dry either. I think smoky is at the forefront for me.  

After drydown this one sweetens and deepens a little. I like. Which is good because when it was fresh from the mailbox I was terribly disappointed. I didn't think I could wear it but I can.

After drydown it's downright gorgeous. Sadly, it doesn't last very long on me. Just after gorgeous it starts fading.

HIDEOUS HEART
dark delicacies
gris grimly: poe's tales of death and dementia

A sinister Valentine: wild black cherries, licorice root, and cinnamon.

Huge cherry right away but it gives way to cinnamon very quickly and they blend. There is another influence way in the back that can very well be licorice root, but it's earthy more than actual licorice. This is not a sweet blend, it's a little dry. I can't help wanting to try it with a red musk one. It's good though. A little strange but good. After half an hour it gets downright gorgeous. Not dry and not sweet but something in between and the cherry blends really well with the spice.

Layers really well with SEMIRAMIS

HOLLYWOOD BABYLON
Wanderlust

The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry.

in the bottle i'm not so sure. it was fruity and maybe a little sharp. but on, it smoothes down to vanilla and strawberry and for a moment i sensed some cinnamon but it faded fast, giving room for smooth amber.
Oh man this one is good. sweet and still maybe a little fruity but completely to live with. my nose is glued to my wrist. mmm. i can't get enough.

yellow. soft yellow.

 

G

GLASYA
diaboulous,
discontinued

Created in honor of the fiery, vicious Princess of Hell and bloodthirsty general who governs thirty-six legions of infernal warriors. Her lust for bloodshed and manslaughter is matched only by her love of the classical arts and sciences - definitely a woman that we respect. A seething, fiery blend of dragon's blood, deep myrrh, red and black musks, civet and thick red patchouli, glistening with drops of rose and ylang ylang.

In the bottle I just get the patchouli, and I like patchouli so I don't mind. Once it touches my skin it's fiery and loud, like the love child of PHANTOM and SPELLBOUND only with a brush of jasmine (or is that ylang ylang), both so loud on me that I can't actually wear them. Here it only lasts for a few minutes though, then it settles and smooths into animalistic and sexy roses, dripping with lust. Oh man. Ooh yeah. Uh, yeah. Ehrm.

GOTHIC HORROR FROM BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LABS
retail only
Dark Delicacies

Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs presents GOTHIC HORROR (5 ml. bottle). The blueblood of the horror genre. Gothic horror borrows heavily from Victorian Romanticism: a dark, passionate sojourn into emotionally-driven aesthetic experience - reaching through gloom towards a vision of the sublime. Using sprawling, decay-riddled visuals, and lyrical narrative rife with suspense, awe, and dread, these films tell tales of tortured souls, long-buried secrets, rapid descents into depravity and madness, and grasping supernatural beings. Examples: Vampyr, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Frankenstein, the Phantom of the Opera. Morbidly romantic, thick with murky melodrama, untouched by the centuries, and dust-rimed: Byzantine incense, benzoin, myrrh, bitter clove, spikenard, oud, and ancient balsam.

Oh this is pleaseant. I pre-tested it (on my way home from the post office) when I had a drop of GLASYA on my wrist and together they are PÔTHÔN MÊTÊR's twin sister. I have to test this without the rose influence though. I think this is one I can wear.

 

F

 

FENRIS WOLF
diabolous

The raw, untamable power of chaos. Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood.

smells very good on me, very long lasting and it reminds me a little of incense. a little male maybe, like the second-day aftershave of someone i knew but have forgotten.

FIRE PHOENIX
limited edition
anniversary 08

Enterprise, adventure, restlessness, impulsiveness, and dynamism: Chinese musk and red musk with hyacinth, cactus flower, cubeb berry, galangal, tobacco, pink pepper, and sarsaparilla.

Huh? Lemon? I so wasn't expecting that. But it's good, I like it, I just didn't expect it in a red musk scent named fire. It changes during drydown though, oh this is a morpher and it's on the good side!

After a while I get the red musk and when several hours have gone by it's reminding me of THE GREAT SWORD OF WAR a little. I have to add that this isn't an ideal testing because i'm cleaning the kitchen so all kinds of things interfere with the actual scent. I will test more later but you know, I couldn't wait...

 

FLORENCE
wanderlust

Lab description: The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.

oh wow this one i love. warm and ambery like i love it, so deep and sweet it makes my head spin and yet with a light little note in there. it's so perfectly balanced i want to keep my nose at my wrist at all times. mmm...

it ended in berries. oh man i loved every stage of this one.

it's alredy on my next order list. thanks for the frimp! this worked very well on me! :)

FREDERIC x 2
limited edition

For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I’ve no desire to be disloyal,
Some person in authority, I don’t know who, very likely the Astronomer Royal,
Has decided that, although for such a beastly month as February, twenty-eight days as
a rule are plenty,
One year in every four his days shall be reckoned as nine and twenty.
Through some singular coincidence – I shouldn’t be surprised if it were owing to the

agency of an ill-natured fairy –
You are the victim of this clumsy arrangement, having been born in leap-year, on the
twenty-ninth of February;
And so, by a simple arithmetical process, you’ll easily discover,
That though you’ve lived twenty-one years, yet, if we go by birthdays,you’re only five
and a little bit over!

Alas, poor Frederic the Leapling! -- bound to the merry Pirates of Penzance until his twenty-first birthday.

As his birthday comes around only every four years, so does his scent!

Victorian whimsy and piratical romance: a reluctant seaman’s chypre sloshed with a mix of bay rum, patchouli, amber musk, dark woods, tea rose, and red currant.

At first I get wood, the sharp smell of wood floor with tar, or tjæra dørk, to put it in sailor norwegian. Or tarred deck is closer to it because I get a whiff of salt sea air too. Not as much as in other pirate scents I have tried but i can sense it there in the background.

As it dries a little, a citrus note rises towards the sky and disappeares, leaving a sweetness behind. Now i get the rose but it's very faint. No booze though. Looks like my frederic is a sober man.

After drydown it's a gentle but spicy rose scent with a lot of air. And I love it. I had no idea it would end up here. Man am I glad I got this one!

D

DARK CHOCOLATE AND CHERRY
it doesn't scream get me but it sounds good 

it's a little like VICE only not as sweet. I have BAGHDAD under though and it was impossible to lose so I have to test again obviously. Plus it's straight from the mailbox so I don't have an accurate picture yet. I'm thinking bottle though.


DARK CHOCOLATE AND PEPPER-SMOKED CARAMEL
oh this one sounds good even if it has both smoke and pepper, both huge no nos in the past. Never tried with caramel though 

it's reminding me a little of gingerbread, as in BUTTER RUM COOKIE. I got caramel right away but it smooths down to ginger pretty fast. That said, it's not bad. At all. Let's see what it dries down to. 

 

DARK DELICACIES ESSENTIAL OIL
On February 10th at 3 p.m., Black Phoenix joins us to celebrate their essential oils, including "Dark Delicacies". Black Phoenix’s exclusive Dark Delicacies blend is the embodiment of sinister sensuality. It is a heady and darkly romantic blend of devil’s trumpet accord, black orchid, tonka, coconut meat, fruit gums, osmanthus, smoky resin, myrtle, and Indonesian patchouli. Sold in 5 ml. bottle with a Dark Delicacies label.

Definitely white floral but a good white floral so I don't mind. It's complex, I get that. And there is the patchouli wafting through the scenario, making it more interesting. Myrtle as a little green speck in there. Something in here is a little sweet too, but not overly sweet. It dries down to a gorgeous clean smell. I can sense the florals in there still, mixed with a mellow patchouli, and i'm thinking this will be the right thing to wear to a function where dressing up is a part of it. This one with a gorgeous dress would be a very nice fit. I can see a white dress with this one. Oh and the label I made for the roller bottle before this one came to me fits very well. 

 

DEATH ADDER
limited edition
carnival diabolique
snake pit 

Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax. 

Vetiver at first as always when it's involved but not as sharp and not for as long as usually either. I don't mind vetiver anymore, actually i'm growing to love it more with every application on my skin. In this one it gives way to snake oil with a serious twist. It's absolutely gorgeous, a darker approach to snake oil. It's a new fave already, although the fave room is growing fast.

DEVIL'S NIGHT 2009
limited editions
halloweenies09

This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.

Ooh yeah. It went straight on my order list. Red musk, booze and it ended in smoke and then in sweet but faint red musk. Yes please.

I couldn't even wait for an update. I made a single order just for this one. Yum.

DIABLE EN BOÎTE
limited editions
yules09

The crickets sing, and man's o'er-labour'd sense
Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus 
Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken'd 
The chastity he wounded. Cytherea, 
How bravely thou becomest thy bed, fresh lily,
And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch! 
But kiss; one kiss! Rubies unparagon'd,
How dearly they do't! 'Tis her breathing that
Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o' the taper
Bows toward her, and would under-peep her lids, 
To see the enclosed lights, now canopied 
Under these windows, white and azure laced 
With blue of heaven's own tinct. But my design,
To note the chamber: I will write all down: 
Such and such pictures; there the window; such 
The adornment of her bed; the arras; figures, 
Why, such and such; and the contents o' the story.
Ah, but some natural notes about her body, 
Above ten thousand meaner moveables 
Would testify, to enrich mine inventory.
O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her!
And be her sense but as a monument, 
Thus in a chapel lying! Come off, come off:
As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard! 
'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly, 
As strongly as the conscience does within, 
To the madding of her lord. On her left breast 
A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops 
I' the bottom of a cowslip: here's a voucher, 
Stronger than ever law could make: this secret 
Will force him think I have pick'd the lock and ta'en
The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end? 
Why should I write this down, that's riveted, 
Screw'd to my memory? She hath been reading late 
The tale of Tereus; here the leaf's turn'd down 
Where Philomel gave up. I have enough: 
To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven's eye! I lodge in fear; 
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here. 
One, two, three: time, time! 
- Iachimo, Cymbeline Act II, Scene 2

There are few things more disturbing than a Jack in the Box. A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk.

 

Whoa! It smells suspicious in the bottle and i'm not at all sure if i'll like it at this point but once it hits the skin it's buttery and smooth red musk just the way I like it. When it dries it's a masculine PÔTÔN MÊTÊR. Powerful and maybe a little screamy but definitely gorgeous.

Three hits out of of three unsniffed yules. I can't believe it :D
 

 

E

EGG NOG
limited edition
yules07 

Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg.  

I won this one on ebay though so I have no guarantee that it wasn't skin tested, but it was full.

The cream makes it smell a little like LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY but when I did a side by side I realized it was the cream note playing tricks on me. That said though, it's not bad for a foody and it hasn't gone to sour cream yet. In the bottle it's more boozy than on my skin but that's true for most boozy scents. My skin seems to eat it up.

It's very sweet. I have never had egg nog as a drink so I can't say if it's like it's namesake or not. But I kinda like it. Not omg this is the love of my life kinda love but it's gonna get a rollerbottle and be worn now and then. And i'm glad I tried it.

 

C

CANDY PHOENIX
limited edition
anniversary 08 

A dusky, effervescent mix of pomegranate and black currant candies, with a dusting of sugared pear and white apple.  

Although it's a sugar scent, it's more fruity/berry and not at all as sweet as I thought it would be. It's very good and definitely in the candy category with SUGAR SCULL and it's very like STICKY PILLOWCASE, only not on the strawberry side.
 

CHAOS THEORY IV: EDGE OF CHAOS
Each bottle of Chaos Theory is truly unique, a fragrant fractal, and exercise in the joy of chance and uncertainty! Each is a one-of-a-kind, utterly random combination of scents, the composition of which is based on whim, mood and gut instinct.

Most common allergens have been omitted from the experiment. No pennyroyal, no nuts, no cinnamon, no cassia. Regardless, if you have any sensitivities, please do not participate in Chaos Theory. The contents of the oils are not recorded [that’s the whole point!] and we will not be able to answer questions about specific bottles of CT4 or guarantee that an allergen is not present in your order.

By purchasing CT:4, you agree to absolve Black Phoenix of any responsibility related to an allergic reaction to one of the oils in this series.

Please make a responsible choice, and use caution and discretion when ordering. This is intended to be a fun, exciting project. Please bear in mind that all Black Phoenix oils are made in an environment that contains nuts, both literally and figuratively.


The Chaos blends were created by both myself and Mister Constantine, with a handful contributed by Teddy, so you get an extra dose of chaos!

LXXVII
This one is very fruity/berry and i'm not ruling out some musk in here. And tea. It's a little like DORIAN only with berries/fruits. It's very good.

Glad I decided to play and i'm gonna pretend this is the one that was destined to come to me.

It dries down to pure DORIAN, almost a little too much for me. I'm not really a DORIAN fan from before. Not sure what to do with it but I can always let it sit for a while and try it later. It wasn't that bad, before drydown it was downright gorgeous for a while. 

I gave the roller bottle to ziza. Maybe, if she likes it that much, she gets the bottle for xmas. Ooooor maybe i'll sell it on ebay muahaha
 

MLXXXV (1085)
I think my last shot at the chaos theory just hit jackpot. This one is berry/fruity and I suspect red musk, which was a huge wish with me. I can't say what kind of berries or fruits because it's not strawberry, and it's not in the grape or citrus family either. It's sweet and gorgeous and has me thinking about papaya or something in that direction. I also get a hint of wood, after testing it a few times and comparing it to others (CRAWDADDY DREAM and HORN OF AMALTHEA, the three of them are kinda similar)There is also a tiny hint of bubble gum but not in the lotus way because I amp lotus like nobody's business, so by now it would be, if not screaming, at least talking very loud and very fast. This bubble gum is pink and in the background, barely detectable behind the fruity/musky thing. But I can't know for sure what's in this.

All I can say with certainty is that this is absolutely fabulous and my nose has been glued to my arm for the last ten minutes.

CHAOS THEORY V: RECURSIVE SELF-SIMILARITY V4
The Snake Oil Series

LVIII (58)
it's pretty powerful and I can say right now that I don't get snake oil from sniffing the bottle at all. My thoughts go to teak or some kind of exotic wood though. On I get a little bubblegum.

CLXII (162)
a little green and a little strange but I get snake oil after drydown although it keeps the green. I was thinking grass and leather for a second. On a snake oil base of course.

 

 

CHRYSANTHEMUM MOON
a little lunacy 

Your attention is diverted from the pleasures of the Midway and the curiosities within the colossal 13-in-1 by the pressure of a long fingered and lily-white hand on your elbow. You turn and see a woman staring at you. Her hair is raven black, and she possesses all the fragile beauty of a fine porcelain doll. Lazily, she hands you a gold-dusted, sun-yellow chrysanthemum. She tosses her head towards a small indigo and crimson striped tent that stands just off of the Midway and gestures for you to come closer. Her scent is bewitching, almost intoxicating: a sensual incense of crushed mums, red ginger, and pulsing musk. You are overcome with a surge of desire, and like a silent siren, she compels you to follow.

As you approach the tent, you see that softly glowing lanterns illuminate a gilded wooden sign that reads, “Chrysanthemum Moon”. The tent is unlike any other that you have seen in the Carnaval: it is tiny, small enough to hold one or two bodies in comfort, and as you pass through the entryway, you see nothing at all within the space save for a framed piece of ragged parchment that reads,

“Then Helen, daughter of Zeus, turned to new thoughts. Presently she cast a drug into the wine whereof they drank, a drug to lull all pain and anger, and bring forgetfulness of every sorrow. Whoso should drink a draught thereof, when it is mingled in the bowl, on that day he would let no tear fall down his cheeks, not though his mother and his father died, not though men slew his brother or dear son with the sword before his face, and his own eyes beheld it.”

As your eyes pass over the black ink, the ground before you abruptly opens like a hideous yawning mouth, revealing a pitch black stairwell that leads directly underground. Turning back to find your guide, you realize that she has vanished.

Still clutching the golden chrysanthemum, you descend into the earth on well-worn steps of grey clay. The only light comes from the bottom of the stairs: a guttering oil lamp that stands as a sentinel before a heavy wooden door. You push it open, and move into a vast, dimly lit room. The ceiling is low and intimate, the walls are terraced with wooden berths and riddled with shadowy alcoves, and the air is thick with leaden brown opium smoke that hangs thickly over a seductive mixture of red musk, body-warmed perfume, and hypnotic Eastern flowers. Ornate braziers of burning charcoal are filled with smoldering poppy tar that punctuates the gloom with bursts of strange, surreal flames.

As your eyes adjust, you see that among the thick, plush cushions and elaborate brocade blankets strewn across the floor, bodies writhe. Some lie in hebetudinous repose, heads thrown back in quiet delirium, others sit transfixed like crouching beasts. Flashes of fire burst in tiny circles of bloody light as metal pipes are lit. Sluggish, slurring voices coalesce into a hypnotic susurration. Your mind becomes unfocused, your thoughts abstracted. The scents, the sounds, and the darkness envelop you, and you find yourself falling - falling endlessly into a dream within a thousand dreams. 

I know I shouldn't test these things when I have a migraine but I couldn't help myself. At first it was very overwhelming and I was thinking intoxicating but now, after drydown, it has to be one of the most gorgeous i've had the pleasure of sniffing yet -with a possible exception of RED PHOENIX. They're not alike at all even if they have the red musk in common though. This one is much more sofisticated and complex.

I'll test it from skratch when i'm not on migraine medication but the fact that I wasn't put off in spite of that tells me this is one of the best buys ever.

COUNTESS WILLIE
the district

Sophisticated, dramatic, well-traveled, glamorous, and worldly, Countess Willie V. Piazza, owner of the French Studio, was a trendsetter in style and fashion. Countess Willie was an educated woman, a patron of the arts, and possessed an impressive library of rare volumes. She featured many historic jazz musicians in her House, including Tony Jackson and Jelly Roll Morton. Unlike many of her counterparts, she was known for having a kind heart and a generous, loving nature. She was fiercely protective: when a patron of her establishment, the nephew of a prominent New Orleans cleric, committed a heinous act of sadism against one of her ladies, Countess Willie shot him dead.

Chocolate plum musk, red musk, amaretto, candied fruits, and red ginger.

Her first impression is strange and made me think about vegetables like celery or parsley or something like that but it didn't take her long to melt into my skin in heavenly fruity red musk. Mm gorgeous is your name, countess.

 

COUPLE CONSULTING AN ENPON
Orange blossom, blackberry, amber mint, and red sandalwood.  

Ooh minty! It's better than I expected though, it's little head shop-y actually..

second try and I don't know where I got the mint from because I sure don't get any now. I do get the head shop though, and a sweet something that is possibly blackberry since that's the only sweet thing on the menu. It dies down pretty quickly. Third try and I get red musk on SMUT level. It's absolutely gorgeous and also the only Shunga that fits me.

 

CREEPY 2009
limited editions
halloweenies

A return of 2006's Ridiculous Scent! As creepy as Spooky was spooky, this is the scent of butterscotch-kissed, caramel-smothered red apples spiked with a blast of coconut rum.

Apple and caramel. This one is a very nice apple scent.

 

 

B

BAGHDAD
wanderlust

Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood.

oh man this one is good!!

in the bottle it's woody and sharp but once it gets on the skin it smooths down and i can smell a hint of rose coming through, but without taking over. On me this one is a rose scent and a spice scent at he same time. i don't get any mandarin though, no citrus at all, only warmth and femininity. i love it! a definite bottle here, actually already on its way. i could wear this one a lot. it's one of my very faves so far.

B-HORROR FROM BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LABS

On May 23rd, Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs presents B-HORROR: "B-Movie" initially referred to the second half of a double feature, usually a film that was lower in budget than the feature film, and weakly publicized. The expression has morphed over the years to encompass movies whose runtimes were under 70 minutes, low-budget films in general, an inartistic, cheaply produced genre movies, or high-budget exploitation style films. Examples: I Drink Your Blood, Horror of Party Beach, Attack of the Crab Monsters, It Conquered the World. This scent is a celebration of B-grade sci fi and horror from the 50s, 60s, and 70s: a glowing glob of radioactive waste mixed with a mishmash of ingredients from assorted recipes for fake blood -- chocolate syrup, corn syrup, grenadine, and peanut butter.(5 ml. bottle).

It's a version of VELVET CLOWN, chocolate and corn syrup and it dries down to rubber toy. That said, it's not all that bad for a DD scent. Layered with VELVET it gets downright gorgeous even if the toy wins in the end.

 

BEAVER'VERSARY
limited edition
anniversary 08

Cheesecake and cupcakes, yo! This is Beaver Moon 2005 resurrected! 

I'm not sure I get the hype, but I guess everyone has different faves. It's all about cake even if it has a dark sugary flair to it in the bottle. I get the cheesecake, but once again I have to admit that cake scents don't really work on my skin even if it's not awful and even kind of good. It reminds me of LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY. And unfortunately it goes a little sour milk on me.
 

BIEN LOIN D'ICI
love potions 

Lab description:This is the house, the sacred box, Where, always draped in languorous frocks, And always at home if someone knocks, One elbow into the pillow pressed, She lies, and lazily fans her breast, While fountains weep their soulfullest: This is the chamber of Dorothy. — Fountain and breeze for her alone Sob in that soothing undertone. Was ever so spoiled a harlot known? With odorous oils and rosemary, Benzoin and every unguent grown, Her skin is rubbed most delicately. — The flowers are faint with ecstasy. The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents.  

wet it reminds me of urd, it has the same headshop-feeling that urd does (and i love that -always have). when it dries it doesn't go sweeter as most scents do on me. this one is very strange and very interesting. if i smell it from a little distance it's pure caramel, but the closer to the wrist i put my nose, the more it reminds me of vetiver but that's not quite it either. it must be the spices. i'm not really getting honey, unless that's what adds a certain smoothness to it.

this one is nothing less that gorgeous. we're looking at a bottle. and this one goes into me new brown spice category box tower. the middle one i think.

BITE ME
limited editions
halloweenies

Croquembouche with almond silk and a drizzle of caramel.

Almond the first tenth of a second and then something a little boozy and a little cakey but not really any of them. I'm not getting caramel but that could change. I think I like. It's more cherry than I thought it would be, in a BLACK PHOENIX kind of way, with a touch of caramel. Yes it came out.

 

BLACK LACE x 2
retail exclusive oils 

The embodiment of Victorian funereal elegance. A delicate sugar-spun vanilla cream cotton, stained by tobacco and incense, Indian musk, and drops of cognac.
 

oh crap this one is gorgeous!! at first i wonder if it's chocolate in there but maybe it's just the vanilla playing tricks on me. because this isn't the usual vanilla, it's a dirty one with a lot of depth. the tobacco holds the sweet back a little and adds a certain kind of dignity. it's not really boozy but the drop of cognac gives it sophistication. i have two bottles of this goodness and no, i'm not sharing.

Added later: oh I needed a third one. I can't risk running out. It's the best perfume i've ever experienced.

BLACK PHOENIX

Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month.

i can smell the almonds when it's wet, but it dries quickly and turns into smoky rose, but not a soft and comforting rose, it's haunting and sharp, though beautiful. sweet but not too sweet. sharp but not too sharp. i can sense incense or spice in there somewhere, and i think amber. wow. i don't know what i expected but this wasn't it.

i'm not disappointed, i'm pleasantly surprised.

this is soft pink. my favorite shade of pink, but with a twist.

oh yeah. i'm definitely licking the mirror. this one isn't kidding around. a 5ml order is already on its way. this one is in my definite top five.
 

BLOOD PHOENIX
anniversary blend

lab description: Blood: expressing passion, will, and a sensual aesthetic. Dragon’s blood resin, helichrysum, burgundy wine grape, red musk, opoponax, red poppy, myrrh, carnation, tonka, almond, mimosa, jonquil, and neroli.

Oh wow! At first sniff it was kind of hard to detect the notes. I had a whiff of almond and a little whiff of grape. Something has happened to my wrists lately because everything kinda goes stale after a little while. So I applied it on the back of my hand instead and whoa it's BLACK PHOENIX's little brother. Yeah not sister. It's not that feminine on me. I get the cherries only not dirty pink like in BLACK PHOENIX, this is red. Blood red. And gorgeous!

 

BOADICEA
limited editions
trading post inquisition
warrior queens

Rebel Queen of the Iceni, she led an uprising of the tribes against the Roman Empire. After Claudius’ conquest of the area, the Iceni voluntarily allied themselves to Rome, though Rome was not a gentle parent state. The Romans conquered much of Brittania, desecrated the sacred groves at Mona, and slaughtered the druids. When Boadicea’s husband, Prasutagus, died, his will was ignored and his massive financial debt to Rome was called in forcefully. Iceni was annexed as though it was a conquered territory, property and estates were seized, both tribal nobility and the common folk were enslaved. When Boadicea objected to the treatment of her lands and her people, she was flogged, and her children were grievously injured.

Boadicea took her vengeance.

Under the leadership of Boadicea, the Iceni and Trinovantes united with their neighbors and the surviving druids of Mona to instigate a rebellion. They cut a swath of furious destruction. Her warriors slaughtered Legionary forces, and destroyed Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium -- so scorching the earth beneath Londinium that the scar is still visible beneath modern London.

HER PERFUME
Amber, fig, vanilla flower, oak, patchouli, vetiver, dragon’s blood resin, leather, and neroli.

She goes on as mostly leather and stays that way for a couple of hours before she sweetens into vanilla and amber. She's absolutely gorgeous and the leather note is just as wonderful as the one in WANDA, without the roses and the wine of course. I'm so happy I went ahead and ordered her.

HER BATH
Fig, neroli, amber, vanilla, patchouli, pine needle, and vetiver.

The pine and vetiver hardly shows up at all exept maybe for grounding the oil. This is mostly fig and amber and a tiny whiff of vanilla on me. Absolutely gorgeous of course. The oil had leaked and is cloudy and light in the bottle. Maybe it's supposed to be like that. I asked in the forum and someone else observed the same thing.
 

BOOMSLANG
Carnival Diabolique
snake pit

Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk. 

Oh maaan...

yeah I get the hype on this one. It's on me and I'm drooling. It's basicallylike aged SNAKE OIL though, sweeter and deeper and in all that I also get the chocolate. Mmm. I smell a new favorite.
 

BRISINGAMEN
love potions

Lab description: The amber necklace of Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love, Sex, Attraction and Fruitfulness. Her magnificent necklace was bough from four Dwarves [Alfrik, Berling, Dvalin and Grer] at the price of four nights of her passion. When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.

this one was the first one i ever tried and the one that got me hooked on BPAL in the first place.

absolutely divine on me. i feel like a sensual woman. must have a 5ml of this one. it has a strong floral scent at first but when i calms down it gets sweet and warm, which is the amber settling on my skin.
 

BUTTER RUM COOKIE
limited editions
yules

A boozy addition to the devil's bake sale! Rum-soaked butter cookies, crusted with sugar, soaked in almond and garnished with orange rind.  

Now this is a cookie. I get the rum at first, and when it dries down spices og yule emerge and they put me right into the seasonal mood. I get a little cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamum, but they're all very well blended, so much so that i'm not sure I picked the right ones. Mmm. This I like.

 

A

 

AGAPĒ
limited editions
forum 5 year anniversary 09

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passion fruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava.

Caramel in the bottle. I get the apple and fruit as soon as it hits my skin, a bit too tart for my liking and I'm not sure I can live with it at this point. But it smooths down pretty fast and vanilla comes out to smooth it even more. It's still sharp though, fruity and sharp with a touch of vanilla cream. All in all not too much of anything. Balance is very good in this one. Is it me though? We'll see. I usually go for the darker ones and this one is both bright and happy. But hey, I have changed my mind before. After drydown I suddenly remembered what it reminded me of. Fruit jelly with vanilla sauce. Spot on.
 

AGRAT-BAT-MAHLAHT
carnaval diabolique
the grindhouse

Amber, cream accord, white honey, apple blossom, skin musk, caramel, and teak.  

From the vial and wet on the skin I get rum, which is strange because there is no rum listed with her.

It's probably the caramel playing tricks on me but in the initial stages she does remind me slightly of ELEGBA even if she calms down very quickly and gives room for something I can't really describe. Is this the teak? She stays close to the skin and maybe she's a little woody but I think I get the skin musk, and the cream.

I'll let her do her magic on my skin for a little while and check on her later. I braved it and put her on both wrists and behind ears and even in the cleavage. I don't think she can go wrong on me.

Ooh i'm getting apple now, from the inside of my wrists, blending with caramel and something interesting happens. She's not a candy girl, oh no, she's very sophisticated. She reminds me a little of RED LANTERN, only she's cleaner and nicer.

Oh crap there her cream goes sour on my wrist. Let's hope she gets past that stage and that's all it is. ELEGBA did back in the day.

Aaand we're back. She recovered and it didn't take long.

No she is very very gorgeous. A bottle is already ordered. 

ANACTORIA
limited editions
lupercalia

The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on
flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden
amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk.  

Oh man it's good!

Wet I don't really know how to describe it because I can't really pick any notes out but I do sense the blood and sweat. It's beautifully blended. On drydown I can sense the honey coming through the amber, and that herbal note has to be the kush, far back in the corner.

I can't seem to keep my nose away from my wrist, that's how good it is. It's amber and musk but not in any way I have noticed before, in other blends. It's sweet and smooth but still edgy. I love it.   

AND THERE WAS A GREAT CRY IN EGYPT
the salon

And There Was A Great Cry In Egypt, Arthur Hacker.
Dark myrrh, white sandalwood, amber, hyssop, frankincense, honey, cypress, red musk, cardamom and saffron. ($25.50)

First test: I've had to re-slather a few times during the afternoon since it's not really a stayer, and I can recognize the cedar whiff when it's wet now, although and also how the red musk comes out a little later. I'll probably be able to recognize more notes when i've worn it a few more days. It's a blend that keeps changing and it keeps things interesting all the way even if it dies an early death on my skin. I love it. I can just bring a roller bottle with me when I wear it so I can reapply when I need to. Oh wait, I do that all the time anyway...

Second/real test: This one is very very subtle on me, and the red musk is very hard to pick out.

Man, it's so well blended I can't pick out notes if you paid me. It's very shy and subtle and absolutely gorgeous.

The first note that comes to the foreground reminds me a little of turpentine and subsequently of the canvas and the painting of course. But it doesn't stay long and morphs into something woodsy, but only for a moment. It dries down to a pleasant but very subtle red musk with a hint of spice and honey. It stays very very close to the skin but it's there. It's infinitely gorgeous, and very sophisticated. To be worn when I want to be perfumed but not scream about it. Art in scent form.

AQUARIUS 2007
limited editions
Fixed air: the essence of idealism.

Wisteria, myrrh, anise, galbanum, bryony, and pomegranate. 

I was worried about the wisteria and I still am. I haven't tested it properly yet though. I put some on my wrist and then I had to run to the bus. But I put my nose to my wrist as often as I could and there is a fruity thing there more than a floral one so there is still hope. and there is also a dusty thing like something old. There is no way I can pick the notes apart here and that's a good thing. It's well blended.

A year later(it arrived in Jan 08): wet, I get the anise first with a touch of floral and I'm thinking hm, weird, why isn't this one of my faves since I'm an Aquarius? And I remember the wisteria and I'm wondering if I should put this up for sale because let's face it: I haven't worn it at all. I have only tested it twice and was always a little meh about it. And then it dries down. Oh man. Oh crap. Now I get it. I think I'm keeping this one all to myself. This is gorgeous now. Maybe it was the aging, maybe my chemistry has changed, I don't know. But I can wear this now. I'm already making a label for the roller bottle lol.
 

ASP VIPER
carnaval diabolique
snake pit

Snake Oil with red mandarin, myrrh, and almond.

Almond at first but it isn't very short-lived. It gives way for soft and snakey goodness, deep and golden, but not in a bad way. When I was on blood pressure medicine the myrrh went really bad but now that I'm off it, it smells gorgeous on me.
 

AUSTRALIAN COPPERHEAD
carnaval diabolique
snake pit

Snake Oil with acai berry, amber, cardamom, neroli, and smoked vanilla. 

It's more than a little sharp as it goes on so I think ageing will benefit this one. On drydown it mellows a little but it's still bright and berry-ish.
 

 

#

13
limited editions
friday february 13^th 2009

Considering the state of the economy and other worldwide woes, I think we all need a little extra dose of good luck. A sweet, comforting base of dark chocolate and brown sugar with thirteen herbs of good fortune, including nutmeg, Tonka, allspice, star anise, Jamaican and African gingers, devil’s shoestring, lucky hand root, and thyme.  

Oh yeah it's spicy! I get the spice first, lead by the nutmeg and then the ginger. Also something that makes my eyes water a little but I don't know what that is. This is my birthday perfume so it's important to me that it works. And in a weird way I think it does. Oh the ginger/nutmeg is gone now and it's a little less like baked goods. Brown sugar is coming through.

13
limited editions
friday march 13^th 2009
 
This 13, created by Brian Constantine, is a sign of the times, illustrating chaos and hope, and strength during adversity. Bittersweet dark cocoa is surrounded here by 13 complex aspects, including exotic musks, caraway, allspice, aloes wood, lucky hand, Irish moss, and bamboo. Beneath it all is a glowing core of glistening cherry.  

I get chocolate/cocoa right away. Not like in dark chocolate but more on the milk chocolate side. And the cherries. It's a little like DARK CHOCOLATE AND CHERRIES but sweeter and lighter.

On drydown it disappears for a minute and then, suddenly it comes back as WAR's little sister although I have no idea how that can happen looking at the notes. But there it is, same vibe only a little lighter. Yay! Its gorgeous!

13
limited editions
friday april 13^th 2007 

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits: cardamom, fig meat, grains of paradise, rice flower, chamomile, sandalwood, catnip, clove, and a bundle of five blessed blossoms and herbs.  

For some reason this one never became a favorite of mine. I don't know if it was the catnip that did it or if it's the chocolate. I'm really not that into chocolate scents. Not that it stops me from getting new ones...